When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits an adult, we call it assault. When an adult hits a child, we call it discipline.

Many teenagers are tormented by terrors they deem private and personal. They do not know that their anxieties and doubts are universal.

To sense when a teenager needs understanding and when misunderstanding is a difficult and delicate task. The sad truth is that no matter how wise we are, we cannot be right for any length of time in our teenagers' eyes.

Treat a child as though he already is the person he's capable of becoming.

Wise parents know that fighting a teenager, like fighting a riptide, is inviting doom.

Misbehavior and punishment are not opposites that cancel each other - on the contrary they breed and reinforce each other.

Parenthood is an endless series of small events, periodic conflicts, and sudden crises which call for a response. The response is not without consequence: it affects personality for better or for worse.